Towards Vs Away From Choices

Not all decisions are created equal. Sometimes we make great decisions that are 100% in our best interests, and other times we make short-sighted choices that don’t pan out. 

There are two main motivations for decisions, and they often determine whether your choice ends up being a success or not. They are TOWARDS choices and AWAY FROM choices. “Towards” choices are based on moving towards what you do want, and “away from” decisions are based on moving away from what you don’t want. 

So for example, if you were job hunting, and you were eager to leave your current gig at CompanyA. Maybe you’d be able to take your time and make a “towards” decision, based on finding a role that you were excited to say yes to. Woohoo! Alternatively, you might make an “away from” decision, where you’re so desperate to leave CompanyA that you’re willing to take anything. In an “away from” headspace, maybe you go to an interview, and the hiring manager tells you some really concerning things. You completely disregard them though, hellbent on making this opportunity work. “Sure, it’s not perfect, but it’s GOTTA be better than my current job” you say to yourself. 

Unfortunately, in my experience, away from decisions seldom work well. 

The analogy I use for this is that away from decisions are like a bird trapped in a glass greenhouse. The bird is flying around frantically, eager to escape. Perhaps you open a door, hoping to help them along. The bird is too panicked to pause and identify the door, though, and simply continues ramming themselves into all of the glass windows, hoping to find their exit. 

People can be like that too. Sometimes, we can get so focused on escaping a bad situation, that we don’t take the time to consider a good way to do it! This is often to our detriment.

So, I’m curious - have you ever made an “away from” choice in your career? How did it pan out for you?

While it can be tempting to make a quick decision when we’re unhappy, I’d encourage you not to. The more that you can pause and try to consider what you’re moving “towards”, the better you’ll end up. 

To moving towards the good stuff,

P.S. Coaching can support you in making decisions that are intentional and aligned with your best interests. If you know something needs to change, but you don't want to make a move from a place of desperation and are ready to do the work to determine what you DO want, click HERE to explore Purpose Chaser School TOGETHER.